Lockheed Martin is a great place to start a career - one of the benefits of being a huge corporation with varied departments is that there is a lot of potential for advancement. I imagine that job security is a bit better than in other industries that hire for similar positions because defense contracting is a fairly steady business - plus, security clearances are fairly expensive to attain, which means that from day one the corporation has invested quite a bit in even its entry-level employees. This also helps in the job market when looking forward.

The success of any project and thus the success of the company relies entirely on the ability of its employees, so LM spends quite a bit to keep morale levels up and to make sure that its employees are well trained.

The corporate culture is fairly laid-back and casual, but not too much so. Everyone is on a first-name basis. Dress codes and schedules vary by location but are usually pretty flexible. Everything is task oriented - as long as the work gets done, management doesn't nitpick about minutiae.

Cons

I can't really speak in detail about what I do when talking to friends and associates from outside of work. Also, salaries are on average slightly lower than in the private sector, but by no means unfair. Sometimes, the strict requirements of government work call for overly tedious work processes.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

The corporate slogan, "We never forget who we're working for" is gramatically incorrect.

Lockheed Martin Information Systems has a lot of contracts across the United States, with a lot of Federal and state agencies. So Lockheed Martin Information Systems is almost always hiring somewhere, at some time. They are a known "brand" so they might look good on your resume, and the job title they give you might even impress someone who doesn't know any better. But the best reason to work for Lockheed Martin Information Systems is the deep feeling of joy and satisfaction when you quit for a job that isn't sucking all the joy out of your life. Your opinion might vary.

Cons

Oh, let me tell the ways I hated, hated, hated working there. I had a fairly decent job working for another Federal contractor with good wages and respectable raises annually. Lockheed Martin Information Systems came in with a "low ball" bid and won out over the good company that had that contract but to fulfill the contract for the rates they bid, they fired half the incumbent staff (and the firings seemed to be of everyone earning more), and dragged in inexperienced temps to take over from staff who had been doing the job for years. They hired people at one salary and then announced a lower salary on the first day. They were very closed mouth about how much new hires would be paying for health care, so the salary you negotiated in good faith was suddenly about 75% of that amount, with the rest going to pay for insurance. There's no paid family leave--my husband was in a coma but I had to come in and work every day because we wouldn't have had an income, otherwise. Oh, and the white men were routinely paid more than minorities and women.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Treat your employees they way you would want to be treated. If there are bonuses, you could buy a lot of good will by awarding a flat amount to everyone, not just a percentage, so the rich get richer and the poor stay put.